IFSTA – 1ST ED.

CHAPTER 1

FIREGROUND SUPPORT OPERATIONS – IFSTA 1ST ED.

DEFINED : The continual and ongoing process of making careful observations and drawing reasonable conclusions from those observations.

FIREGROUND SUPPORT OPERATIONS – IFSTA 1ST ED.

SIZE UPRegardless of the nature of the incident, every

size-up involves answering the following fundamental questions.

(Review Dispatch Information) What is happening? What is likely to happen? What safety considerations are involved? What are you going to do about it? What resources are needed to accomplish the

task at hand?

What Has Happened?

Identifying the possibilities of what happened to create the emergency.

• Location of fire upon the initial size up report?

• Occupied or Unoccupied?• Take a good view of the property outside the

structure for anything that looks out of place.• Neighbor or passer-by’s information.

What Is Happening?

Identifying what is happening at any given moment is critical information.

Is the situation stable or getting worse? Is the fire threatening victims? Is the fire getting bigger? Are there signs of backdraft? Is this building losing structural integrity?

What Is Likely to Happen?

Estimating what is likely to happen is a key element in development of an IAP. Questions to be asked include:

Is the fire likely to get bigger without additional resources?

Is there a possibility of secondary explosion or backdraft?

Is the structure likely to collapse?

Safety ConsiderationsAll of the foregoing questions relate directly or

indirectly to fireground safety. Officers conducting size-ups should continually and consciously address safety.

Officers should conduct continual Risk vs. Benefits analysis.

This takes into account occupants and firefighters alike.

Safety Considerations

Some of the questions to be asked are:• Is immediate intervention needed to save lives?• What are the risks to firefighters and other

emergency responders?• Are there electrical wires down that are a

hazard?• Is traffic putting people at risk?• Can these and any other safety considerations be

handled with resources on scene or en route?

Answers

Answering these previous questions will allow the Incident Commander (IC) and others in supervisory positions answer these important size-up questions:

• What resources will be required to mitigate this?• Are those resources immediately available or will

they be delayed?• How should the available resources be best deployed

now?• What are the Risks and Benefits of each deployment

mode at this incident?

Answers

Making an accurate initial size-up is important because the initial IAP is based on it.

Its also the basis for the initial incident decisions and one of the most critical decisions facing the first on scene officer. Offensive or Defensive.

The initial “report of conditions” is also derived from the first few answers.

Answers

“Report of Conditions”Quick on-scene size-up by first arriving unit to better

inform all agencies involved Arriving unit: Engine 1 on scene View - one-story residential, wood structure, heavy

smoke coming from the C- Charlie side. Command status: Engine 1 assuming command

Answers

Making an accurate initial size-up is important because the initial “report of conditions” and the IAP are based on it.

Its also the basis for the initial incident decisions and one of the most critical decisions facing the first on scene officer.

“Are the resources that are on scene or en route sufficient to handle this incident?”

Answers

If the answer is “no” or even “maybe”, then additional resources must be requested IMMEDIATELY! In most cases it is not an issue of fire apparatus as it is Manpower on the Fire Grounds.

If the request is delayed then by the time they arrive at the scene, the incident may have progressed to the point that, even with these additional units, the total number may be insufficient.

Size-Up

Initial Size-Up sets the tone!If the initial size-up is accurate, the incident is

more likely to be handled in a safe and timely manner.

If the initial size-up is inaccurate, the incident is more likely to deteriorate and chances of firefighter injuries or fatalities are increased.

Size-Up

The main reason that making an accurate initial size-up of a structure fire is difficult is that it requires not only a knowledge of fire behavior, building construction, and resource availability and capability, it requires the necessary experience and judgment to understand how all of those factors may affect the situation at hand.

NIOSH Model

From a fireground support operations standpoint, the size-up recommended by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is excellent.

NIOSH recommends that the initial size-up of a structure fire include the following:

NIOSH Model

Fire size and location (room/contents, fully involved, floors, front/rear)

Length of time the fire has been burning Conditions on arrival (nothing showing, light

smoke, heavy involvement) Size of the building (single/multistory, floor

area, and height) Age of building (obvious weathering or other

deterioration, modern materials)

NIOSH Model

Presence of combustible materials (wooden structure, wooden roof assembly)

Occupancy (residential, commercial, high hazard)

Renovations or modifications (facades, false ceilings, additions)

Previous fires (if known) Dead loads that might affect structural

integrity (HVAC, water tank on roof)

NIOSH Model

Adjacent exposures (fire extension, smoke contamination)

Resources at scene or available (mutual aid)

NIOSH Model

In addition to the items listed in the NIOSH Model, there are a number of other factors that can affect the initial size-up.

Time of day Day of the Week Weather Pre-fire Plans Area Knowlege

Time of Day, and Day of WeekWho is likely to occupy this building at this

time? On this day?Ex: School at 10:00 Tuesday?School at 03:00 Monday?Residence at 11:00 Wednesday?Residence at 23:00 Thursday?Residence at 20:00 Saturday?

Weather

Even though weather is less a factor in interior structure fires than in wildland, it can affect structure fire behavior.

High temperatures or humidity will sap energy and strength quickly. Low temperatures may also expose crews to hypothermia or frostbite.

Inclement weather can slow the response of vehicles (wet or icy conditions). They can also make gaining access more difficult and roof operations more dangerous.

Strong winds may accelerate fire spread and affect ventilation.

Pre-Fire Plans

If pre-fire plans exist for the location, they should be reviewed en route and updated regularly.

Information to be found on pre-fire plans includes:

OccupancyWater supply informationAccess / Egress pointsFire LoadingSpecial Hazards

Area knowledge

Area knowledge includes what we know about the area or neighborhood around the incident location. This is what we can remember from driving the area or do inspections nearby.

Access routes Unusual hazards Natural barriers Hydrant / Water Source locations

Fire Behavior

To increase their chances of surviving interior structure fires unscathed, firefighters must apply all the knowledge of fire behavior they gained from training and experience when sizing-up specific situations.

Interior structure fires have and continue to injure and kill firefighters who lack the necessary knowledge and skills to functions safely in these unsafe environments.

Building Construction

It is vitally important for firefighters to understand the relationship between building construction and fire behavior.

They must be aware of how various building designs – such as those that are vitally sealed for energy conservation – can affect fire behavior.

The must also be aware of the effects of various building materials and how they may add fire load or the hazardous byproducts they produce.

Building Construction

There are many ways in which the construction of a building that is on fire can affect fireground support operations, and firefighters must include these factors in their overall size-up of a fire situation.

Among the factors that can impact these operations are the age of the building, type of construction, its collapse potential, extent of modifications, and how the fire is likely to behave in this particular building.

Summary

Size-up is defined as the continual and ongoing assessment of an emergency situation from initial alarm to incident termination.

Accurately sizing-up a working structure fire is one of the most critical functions during the incident.

How the initial size-up is done sets the tone for the entire incident.

Summary

Performing an accurate size-up of a working structure fire requires knowledge of fire behavior, building construction, and resource availability and capability.

It also requires the experience and judgment to determine how these individual factors combine to affect the plan of attack on the incident at hand.

My training Moto:

We will rely on a solid training foundation. We will work as a team. We will strengthen our skills and promote safety to the best of our ability!!!